Custom Built Purse - Designing the Bag

Current bag with all of my stuff.

I have a huge problem. Whenever I have to buy a new purse, I can never find one that is large enough for all of what I consider daily necessities. If I do happen to luck out and find one large enough, it is simply a pretty grocery bag that has no pockets and I am simply expected to carry everything all together, which would be horrible for the screens of all my electronics.

Just some of the things I carry on a normal day.

So, I always told myself, once I moved out of my parents and bought my own sewing machine, one that worked better than my Mom's hand-me-down from her mother, I would make myself my perfect bag.

Well, I have now moved out and purchased a sewing machine, so I have begun to make my own bag. This will be my first project for the blog. I will be posting all the different steps I go through to make my bag.

The first step I did was figure out all that I wanted my bag to be able to do. I decided that I wanted to be able to have separate pockets for my phone, iPod, headphones, Nintendo DS, DS games, Sony E reader, wallet, a pen, a pencil, a nail file, a water bottle and an umbrella. I know, that sounds like a lot. What makes it even worse, is that I also want to be able to carry my lunch, and on days when I stop at the gym on my walk home from work, my workout clothing.

I decided that the best style of bag would be a messenger bag. It would be have enough wall space for all my pockets, and it could also hold my lunch and gym gear. I made some very bad drawings of the basic design and where I would place the pockets. I also started a list of fabric ideas and other things that I would need.

So, the first step to make your own bag is to figure out what functions you would like it to serve and the general shape of the bag. You can also come up with a basic idea of where you would like your pockets.

Stay tuned for the Next Step: Choosing the Fabric.